“They fit perfectly,” she marveled. “How did you do it?”
“I was able to salvage one of the slippers you lost in the sea; it washed up on shore the next day.”
“But you must have ordered these some time ago. How could you possibly have known?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t. I hoped that I would eventually succeed in convincing you. Since it was a shoe that brought you to me, I thought it a fitting way to mark the occasion.”
Her smile reached all the way to her eyes. “Why, Lachlan Maclean, behind that hard-as-steel warrior’s exterior, you are a romantic.”
He frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous.” But his disgruntled response only seemed to amuse her further. “If you’d rather have jewelry—”
“Absolutely not!” She tucked her feet under her protectively, as if daring him to try to take them away. “They’re the most beautiful shoes I’ve ever seen.”
He grinned at her fearsome expression.
“But…” She paused, and her gaze turned questioning. “They must have cost a fortune.”
They had. Money he didn’t have. But how could he marry her without giving her something worthy of her? And it was important that he buy her something without her tocher. He took her hand and dropped a kiss atop her knuckles, staring into her eyes. “They are a gift. I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me.”
Flora’s heart swelled in her chest, touched by the sentiment and thoughtfulness of Lachlan’s gift. She never would have imagined the harsh, forbidding man who’d abducted her would turn out to be so thoughtful. Not that she’d try telling him so. Just thinking about the way his mouth had curled with distaste at the mention of him being romantic made her chuckle. No, this was something she would keep to herself. This side of him was all for her.
She draped her arms around his neck, stood up on her toes, and kissed him softly on his mouth. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I will cherish them always. I only wish that I had something for you. If there is anything you desire, anything you want, name it. If it is in my power, I shall give it to you.”
His arms had wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her a little closer. “Flora, I…”
There was something strange in his voice. She cocked her head. “What is it?”
His gaze bored into her intently, as if searching for something.
“You’ve seemed preoccupied the past couple of days,” she said. “Is something bothering you?”
“No.” He dropped his arms and shook his head, taking a step back. “The guests will be arriving soon, we won’t have much time to be alone again before the ceremony tomorrow.”
The guests would be few, she thought with a stab of disappointment. Her cousin Argyll, her brother Rory, and only a few neighboring clan chieftains and their families. There simply hadn’t been time to send for the rest of her brothers and sisters—or her cousins Jamie and Elizabeth Campbell, for that matter.
“I’m sorry, lass,” he said, reading her mind. “I know you wished more of your family could be here.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I know you are eager to have this finalized.” She frowned, realizing there was still one person unaccounted for. “Will your brother John arrive in time? I’m anxious to meet him.”
He went unnaturally still, a reaction that seemed to occur whenever the subject of his brother arose. It was strange that Lachlan never talked about John. Perhaps they’d had a falling-out, but given how close Lachlan was to Gilly and Mary, it seemed out of character.
“I’m afraid not,” he said. “John’s been unavoidably detained.”
“You never said where he was.”
He paused, and she thought his jaw hardened. “Near Edinburgh.”
“Truly?” She smiled. “I wonder if I met him at court?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
Clearly, the mention of his brother had upset him. He seemed remote, distant. Taking a step toward him, she said, “Lachlan, I—”
“I’ll leave you to your gowns,” he said roughly. “As soon as your brother and cousin arrive, I’ll send for you.”
And before she could move to comfort him, he’d gone. Flora knew something was wrong. What she didn’t know was why he wouldn’t share it with her.
When Flora answered Lachlan’s summons a few hours later, she felt like her old self. She wore a French gown of dark blue velvet embroidered with tiny seed pearls across the stomacher and a matching pair of shoes. Since her arrival at Drimnin Castle, she’d become accustomed to simply tying her hair back with a scrap of ribbon to hang loose down her back, but tonight she’d asked Morag to help arrange it in a complicated twist secured by a matching velvet-and-pearl cap.
